Published: Friday, January 18, 2013 at 5:06 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, January 18, 2013 at 5:06 p.m.

SARASOTA - What will Sarasota's oldest nursing home do with the eight acres it just bought from a cement company?

Try to anticipate and meet future community needs while ensuring its own survival, said John Overton, chief executive of Pines of Sarasota.

Leaders of the 65-year-old skilled nursing center — which started as a civic project called the Kiwanis Welfare Home — plan an open-ended series of focus groups to get citizen input on the "ultimate best use" of its $1.9 million investment.

Overton said Friday the recent land purchase will, at the least, help the Pines determine what becomes of its own neighborhood. But the board's ambition is to go beyond that, with a state-of-the-art "community asset" that will redefine senior living in the coming decades — as traditional funding for nursing homes dwindles and new ways of caring for frail elders emerge.

The Pines board sees in the potential expansion a chance to return to its roots as an enterprise that involved locals of all ages, from Boy Scouts to women's clubs. At the same time, whatever rises on the site will need to be a steady funding source for the 204-bed, not-for-profit nursing home, which has sustained cuts of roughly 20 percent in state and federal reimbursements over the past two years alone.

In the next three to six months, Overton said, the former industrial space south of the Pines campus will be cleaned up and landscaped, with sidewalks and fencing. But there is no timeline for the deliberations on what will eventually be there — a new model for affordable elder housing, a research institute, a home health operations hub, or something else.

"We don't want to rush anything," said Pines board chairman George Manser. "I wouldn't be concerned if it takes us three to five years to get the entire thing laid out. I think it's more important that we do this right. A lot of it will depend on exactly what input we get."

This outreach effort will intentionally echo the origins of what became the Pines. In the 1940s, the Kiwanis Club asked others to join its project to help "six men in downtown Sarasota that were living in pretty decrepit conditions," Overton said.

Plans called for a campus that would eventually house 96 people, "in a beautiful grove of pine trees on North Orange," as a 1948 fundraising brochure put it.

Refinancing of the Pines' long-term debt at lower interest rates made the land purchase possible, Manser said. That mortgage has grown to about $8.8 million while the payments remain about equal.

"We went into this clearly understanding that when you talk about the world of long-term care and seniors, it's a constantly evolving environment that we're in," Overton said. "We thought the land purchase at this time made solid sense."

The nursing home that started as a purely philanthropic venture — 18 years before Medicare and Medicaid — still relies on donors, as well as income from its thrift shops.

But in his 12-year tenure, Overton has added revenue-producing operations — like the Pines Education Institute, which sells courses and DVDs aimed at caregivers. He also greatly expanded rehabilitation services for both residents and outpatients. The home's on-site children's day-care center breaks even financially, Overton said, "but it's been extremely crucial in terms of being able to retain capable staff."

Overton said the Pines is still perceived by many in Sarasota County as a charity home. But while 70 percent of its residents are covered by Medicaid — the largest share for any nursing home in Southwest Florida — "we have a fair number of people who can go anyplace they want to be cared for, and have come here," he said.

He hopes that cleaning up the adjacent land on Orange Avenue will add to that number.

"Having the concrete company as our neighbor over the years has not been a great incentive for people looking for Mom and Dad to stay here," he said.

<p><em>SARASOTA</em> - What will Sarasota's oldest nursing home do with the eight acres it just bought from a cement company?</p><p>Try to anticipate and meet future community needs while ensuring its own survival, said John Overton, chief executive of Pines of Sarasota.</p><p>Leaders of the 65-year-old skilled nursing center — which started as a civic project called the Kiwanis Welfare Home — plan an open-ended series of focus groups to get citizen input on the "ultimate best use" of its $1.9 million investment. </p><p>Overton said Friday the recent land purchase will, at the least, help the Pines determine what becomes of its own neighborhood. But the board's ambition is to go beyond that, with a state-of-the-art "community asset" that will redefine senior living in the coming decades — as traditional funding for nursing homes dwindles and new ways of caring for frail elders emerge.</p><p>The Pines board sees in the potential expansion a chance to return to its roots as an enterprise that involved locals of all ages, from Boy Scouts to women's clubs. At the same time, whatever rises on the site will need to be a steady funding source for the 204-bed, not-for-profit nursing home, which has sustained cuts of roughly 20 percent in state and federal reimbursements over the past two years alone.</p><p>In the next three to six months, Overton said, the former industrial space south of the Pines campus will be cleaned up and landscaped, with sidewalks and fencing. But there is no timeline for the deliberations on what will eventually be there — a new model for affordable elder housing, a research institute, a home health operations hub, or something else. </p><p>"We don't want to rush anything," said Pines board chairman George Manser. "I wouldn't be concerned if it takes us three to five years to get the entire thing laid out. I think it's more important that we do this right. A lot of it will depend on exactly what input we get."</p><p>This outreach effort will intentionally echo the origins of what became the Pines. In the 1940s, the Kiwanis Club asked others to join its project to help "six men in downtown Sarasota that were living in pretty decrepit conditions," Overton said.</p><p>Plans called for a campus that would eventually house 96 people, "in a beautiful grove of pine trees on North Orange," as a 1948 fundraising brochure put it.</p><p></p><p>Refinancing of the Pines' long-term debt at lower interest rates made the land purchase possible, Manser said. That mortgage has grown to about $8.8 million while the payments remain about equal.</p><p>"We went into this clearly understanding that when you talk about the world of long-term care and seniors, it's a constantly evolving environment that we're in," Overton said. "We thought the land purchase at this time made solid sense."</p><p>The nursing home that started as a purely philanthropic venture — 18 years before Medicare and Medicaid — still relies on donors, as well as income from its thrift shops.</p><p>But in his 12-year tenure, Overton has added revenue-producing operations — like the Pines Education Institute, which sells courses and DVDs aimed at caregivers. He also greatly expanded rehabilitation services for both residents and outpatients. The home's on-site children's day-care center breaks even financially, Overton said, "but it's been extremely crucial in terms of being able to retain capable staff."</p><p>Overton said the Pines is still perceived by many in Sarasota County as a charity home. But while 70 percent of its residents are covered by Medicaid — the largest share for any nursing home in Southwest Florida — "we have a fair number of people who can go anyplace they want to be cared for, and have come here," he said.</p><p>He hopes that cleaning up the adjacent land on Orange Avenue will add to that number.</p><p>"Having the concrete company as our neighbor over the years has not been a great incentive for people looking for Mom and Dad to stay here," he said.</p>